My Hurricane Ike Story

by **KenTheDude** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:15 pm

One full week later and I still don't have power from Hurricane Ike. My zip code was one of 8 to have a mandatory evacuation and I stayed. I walked my dog in the eye of the hurricane, I am not kidding. The eye was so widespread that it was very calm and quiet. No wind or rain in the eye. It lasted for 2 hours and then the "dirty side" came and blew my fence and trees away. Running everything on a loud-ass generator. They estimate it will be another week without power.

On Tuesday I was in line to buy gas about 30 cars deep. Got to 6 cars away and they ran out of gas at the station. Did a u-turn and got in line at another station 40 cars deep. Got to 2 cars away and they ran out of gas. The next day I drove 300 miles looking for gas cans and spent 7 hours until I finally found a 55 gallon drum that was used for racing fuel. Filled it up and I'm running everything on a generator now.

Get this. My parent's house is 3/4 of a mile from Galveston Bay. Their house was built right after the city passed an ordiance that you had to build your house 4 feet higher than previously. My parent's got an inch of water in their garage and not a drop of water in the house. Another 3 inches of water and the house would have flooded. Their next door neighbor's house is an older house and it was flooded 4 feet deep. My parent's yard looks like a jungle. Lost most of their trees. Nice big mature oak trees. One missed my dad's car by about 2 feet.

My neighborhood is next to a small airport and the hurricane blew a plane 200 yards and tore it in half. Look at the picture below. The other picture is my parent's front yard. (The dates on the pics are wrong)

Don't have time to make the pictures smaller sorry. Gotta get offline soon. Computer sucks up gas from the generator.

by **Tracie555** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:21 pm

My God that plane in two pieces is just amazing :shock:

Thank goodness that you and your family are safe, and nothing truly horrible happened. Hopefully you will get the power back soon. That is just crazy.

Take care,

Tracie

by **Rick** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:30 pm

Thanks for checking in Ken. What an ugly storm.

I'm so sorry for your losses.

I'm seriously pissed that you didn't evacuate. I mean that in the most caring way, and I understand there are many variables. Just glad you and your family are ok.

by **SusieP** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:09 pm

Ditto what Rick said.

xxx

by **Babyblue** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:22 pm

Thank God you & family are ok.My thoughts & prayers are for all of you there.

by **journeyMusic** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:26 pm

Sorry for your losses but glad to know you and family are ok. Hopefully power will be back on soon.

by **DrFU** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:27 pm

Very glad you are ok Kennee but you are a dumbass for staying

by **nutz4Neal** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:46 pm

I agree with Linda...HOLY SHIT, KEN! :roll:

Anyway, so glad you and your dog are ok.

Here are more pics from a friend of mind who lives in TX...kwazy!

http://www.boston.com:80/bigpicture/200 ... fe_of.html

by **StoneCold** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:29 pm

Runnin' the net from a generator? :shock:

Dude, you're hardcore! or MacGyver.

by **ProgRocker53** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:15 pm

Glad you're fine and all but...

....why did you stay?

by **Suzanne** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:44 am

Glad and your parents are okay. Hurricane Ike was a motherfucker. power still out in parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. After what we went through here in KY, I really can't even imagine what you are going through in Galveston and areas that got slammed by Ike.

by **RocknRoll** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:12 am

Glad to hear you are OK Ken, that must have been quite an experience. Next time, do consider leaving. You might have a plane IN your house next time.

I was intrigued by the picture of the biplane. (growing up around planes, used to know models of planes better than cars. LOL ). I knew I had seen one before and found it. That is one huge biplane, not just your standard single engine Cessna. :shock:

Anyway, I found it if anyone besides me cares.

http://www.bush-planes.com/Antonov-An-2.html

by **Rick** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:19 am

RocknRoll wrote:Glad to hear you are OK Ken, that must have been quite an experience. Next time, do consider leaving. You might have a plane IN your house next time.

I was intrigued by the picture of the biplane. (growing up around planes, used to know models of planes better than cars. LOL ). I knew I had seen one before and found it. That is one huge biplane, not just your standard single engine Cessna. Anyway, I found it if anyone besides me cares.

http://www.bush-planes.com/Antonov-An-2.html

Antonov is Russian. We get those big Antonov freighters out at DFW once in a while. They are massive. Makes a 747 look like a commuter jet. lol

by **Ratgirl** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:28 am

Glad you are ok Ken.

As most of said.. thank goodness you and your family are ok. Hopefully power will be back on soon.

by **Ratgirl** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:34 am

nutz4Neal wrote:I agree with Linda...HOLY SHIT, KEN!

Anyway, so glad you and your dog are ok.

Here are more pics from a friend of mind who lives in TX...kwazy!

http://www.boston.com:80/bigpicture/200 ... fe_of.html

My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this storm. The pictures are devastating.

by **Abitaman** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:03 am

Having been thru Katrina, I have an idea of what you are going thru. Wish you the best for you and your family and the best with the insurance companies....-ERIC

by **KenTheDude** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:31 am

Well they said the worst case scenario would be a 22 foot storm surge. That airport next to my neighborhood is at elevation 26 feet and my neighborhood is about 2 feet above that. So at worst case, I had about 4-6 feet to spare. The storm surge was my biggest concern, not the winds. It was a high Cat 2 borderline Cat 3 hurricane. My roof has been through worse so I knew I'd be alright. That's the reason why I stayed. Plus the fact that I spent 28 hours driving from Houston to Austin (noramlly a 2 1/2 hour drive) during Hurricane Rita and wasn't gonna go through that again.

Thank you all for the well wishes. I knew everything would be alright. About the only thing I really wasn't counting on was being out of power for 2+ weeks. Everyone that left is now home also and we're all running generators in the neighborhood.

I must have gotten a pretty good generator. I'm able to run the computer, TV, satellite dish, a fan, a lamp, washing machine & fridge all at the same time.

by **KenTheDude** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:32 am

DrFU wrote:Very glad you are ok Kennee but you are a dumbass for staying

You mean like the same dumbass that goes to the beach during the last hurricane?? :lol:

by **larryfromnextdoor** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:53 am

wow ken,, i just cant imagine.. hang in there..

by **DrFU** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:52 am

KenTheDude wrote:
DrFU wrote:Very glad you are ok Kennee but you are a dumbass for staying

You mean like the same dumbass that goes to the beach during the last hurricane??

Kinda like that ... :oops:

by **squirt1** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:53 pm

I am glad that it was not worse for you. Here in Cincinnati many neighborhoods look like a war zone. So much damage and 100 yr old trees laying across the road with telephone polls laying on electric lines. We had 84 mi sustained winds for hours. At one point 974 electric meters had no power,so about 2 million people. Here 9 days later the last should have it on by tomorrow. Many Duke crews were sent to Texas, so we had to wait for crews to come from N Carolina. Let the lawsuits begin !

by **squirt1** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:55 pm

OOPS- That should be 974,000 electric meters.

by **(Crazy)Dulce Lady** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:23 pm

DrFU wrote:
KenTheDude wrote:
DrFU wrote:Very glad you are ok Kennee but you are a dumbass for staying

You mean like the same dumbass that goes to the beach during the last hurricane??

Kinda like that ...

and one.

MR

My Hurricane Ike Story

My Hurricane Ike Story

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